For generalized Reed-Solomon codes, it has been proved [6] that the problem of determining if a received word is a deep hole is co-NP-complete. The reduction relies on the fact that the evaluation set of the code can be exponential in the length of the code – a property that practical codes do not usually possess. In this paper, we first presented a much… (More)

BACKGROUND
Interactive Health Communication Applications (IHCAs) are computer-based, usually web-based, information packages for patients that combine health information with at least one of social support, decision support, or behaviour change support. These are innovations in health care and their effects on health are uncertain.
OBJECTIVES
To assess… (More)

BACKGROUND
As Internet use grows, health interventions are increasingly being delivered online. Pioneering researchers are using the networking potential of the Internet, and several of them have evaluated these interventions.
OBJECTIVE
The objective was to review the reasons why health interventions have been delivered on the Internet and to reflect on… (More)

BACKGROUND
Theories are important tools in the social and natural sciences. The methods by which they are derived are rarely described and discussed. Normalization Process Theory explains how new technologies, ways of acting, and ways of working become routinely embedded in everyday practice, and has applications in the study of implementation processes.… (More)

BACKGROUND
Use of the Internet for health information continues to grow rapidly, but its impact on health care is unclear. Concerns include whether patients' access to large volumes of information will improve their health; whether the variable quality of the information will have a deleterious effect; the effect on health disparities; and whether the… (More)

BACKGROUND
Public use of the Internet for health information is increasing but its effect on health care is unclear. We studied physicians' experience of patients looking for health information on the Internet and their perceptions of the impact of this information on the physician-patient relationship, health care, and workload.
METHODS
Cross-sectional… (More)

BACKGROUND
Diabetes is one of the commonest chronic medical conditions, affecting around 347 million adults worldwide. Structured patient education programmes reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications four-fold. Internet-based self-management programmes have been shown to be effective for a number of long-term conditions, but it is unclear what are… (More)

BACKGROUND
The 1993 directive Tomorrow's Doctors recommended an increase in community-based teaching. In response, many new programmes have been established focusing on the teaching of clinical skills to pairs or groups of students in general practice, when patients are asked to see the students in the practice or in their homes, specifically to assist with… (More)